Justin Verlander pitched six shutout innings and Yordan Alvarez homered twice to lead the Houston Astros to a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of the 2023 American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park.
Jose Altuve led off the bottom of the first inning and Alvarez drove in three as the defending world champions won their tenth consecutive Game 1 of a Division Series.
Verlander left Houston in the offseason after spending five years and two months with the club to sign with the New York Mets but was traded back to the Astros in July.
"It's been a whirlwind of a year, season for me", he said. "To find myself back here in Houston and pitching in the playoffs is not something I foresaw, but happy to be here, happy to help contribute, and happy to be in the playoffs."
The 40-year-old allowed four hits while giving up three walks and striking out six for his 17th win in 35 career playoff starts. He picked up his 10th postseason win with Houston, most in franchise history.
"He gave us all he had like he usually does, and he gave us quality", said manager Dusty Baker. "Even when he doesn't have his great stuff, he still manages to get people out."
Carlos Correa had two hits for Minnesota, who went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position after going 1 for 10 against Toronto in the Wild Card Series.
"We had a lot of traffic out there", Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. "We're one good swing or even one well-placed swing away from getting some real action going, putting some runs up, and we just didn't get that."
Altuve jumped on the first pitch by Minnesota starter Bailey Ober for his first career leadoff home run in the playoffs.
"It was really important", he said. "When we score first we are a better team."
Alvarez then blasted a two-run shot off of Ober to extend the Houston advantage to 3-0.
Ober, making his playoff debut, allowed three runs and four hits over three innings for the Twins, who won their first playoff series in 21 years by sweeping Toronto in the Wild Card Series.
Jose Abreu singled in Alex Bregman to make it 4-0 and Chas McCormick drove Alvarez home to make it 5-0 as Kenta Maeda relieved Ober and allowed the two runs.
The AL Central champions had a number of early chances against Verlander, but failed to push across any runs.
"He's a Hall of Fame pitcher for a reason", Correa said. "Even though he doesn't have his good stuff, he knows how to get people out. He got out of some key spots in the first three innings and they came out with the win because he figured it out and then he cruised the last two or three."
Hector Neris relieved Verlander to start the seventh and with two outs, Jorge Polanco hit a towering three-run home run and two pitches later, rookie Royce Lewis connected for his third home run in three playoff games to make it 5-4.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Baldelli summoned lefty Caleb Thielbar to face Alvarez. He became the first left-handed hitter to homer off of Thielbar as he clubbed an off-speed pitch off the foul pole.
"When I go up there, try not to think about the situation, try not to think about the noise", Alvarez said through an interpreter. "Just say to myself, 'I'm the only one that can get the job done at this moment."
Thielbar said Alvarez is a "great hitter" and continued by saying "he really doesn't have a weakness to either hand. You want to be the guy who comes in and faces him in a big spot. It just wasn't meant to be today."
Bryan Abreu got four outs, working until the eighth and Ryan Pressly pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save.
Lopez looks to even the series against Valdez
Minnesota will send Pablo Lopez to the mound in Game 2. The righthander, acquired in the offseason from Miami, allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings against Toronto after going 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA in the regular season.
Framber Valdez, who threw a no-hitter in August against Cleveland, went 12-11 with a 3.45 ERA in 2023 and was 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in his last five regular-season starts.